The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday January 17, 2023 (NIV)

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel^(A) and settle there, and build an altar^(B) there to God,^(C) who appeared to you^(D) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”^(E)

² So Jacob said to his household^(F) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods^(G) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.^{(H) 3} Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,^(I) who answered me in the day of my distress^(J) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.^(K)” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,^(L) and Jacob buried them under the oak^(M) at Shechem.^{(N) 5} Then they set out, and the terror of God^(O) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.^(P)

⁶ Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz^(Q) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.^{(R) 7} There he built an altar,^(S) and he called the place El Bethel,^[a](T) because it was there that God revealed himself to him^(U) when he was fleeing from his brother.^(V)

⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,^(W) died and was buried under the oak^(X) outside Bethel.^(Y) So it was named Allon Bakuth.^[b]

⁹ After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,^[c](Z) God appeared to him again and blessed him.^{(AA) 10} God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,^[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.^[e]”^(AB) So he named him Israel.

¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty^[f];^(AC) be fruitful and increase in number.^(AD) A nation^(AE) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.^{(AF) 12} The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.^(AG)”^{(AH) 13} Then God went up from him^(AI) at the place where he had talked with him.

¹⁴ Jacob set up a stone pillar^(AJ) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering^(AK) on it; he also poured oil on it.^{(AL) 15} Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.^[g](AM)

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac^(AN)

¹⁶ Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,^(AO) Rachel^(AP) began to give birth and had great difficulty. ¹⁷ And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife^(AQ) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”^{(AR) 18} As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.^[h](AS) But his father named him Benjamin.^[i](AT)

¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath^(AU) (that is, Bethlehem^(AV)). ²⁰ Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day^(AW) that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.^(AX)

²¹ Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.^{(AY) 22} While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine^(AZ) Bilhah,^(BA) and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

These were the sons of Jacob,^(BM) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.^(BN)

²⁷ Jacob came home to his father Isaac^(BO) in Mamre,^(BP) near Kiriath Arba^(BQ) (that is, Hebron),^(BR) where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.^{(BS) 28} Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.^{(BT) 29} Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people,^(BU) old and full of years.^(BV) And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.^(BW)

Esau’s Descendants^(BX)(BY)

36 This is the account^(BZ) of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).^(CA)

⁹ This is the account^(CQ) of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites^(CR) in the hill country of Seir.

¹⁵ These were the chiefs^(DC) among Esau’s descendants:

¹⁹ These were the sons of Esau^(DM) (that is, Edom),^(DN) and these were their chiefs.^(DO)

²⁰ These were the sons of Seir the Horite,^(DP) who were living in the region:

The Rulers of Edom^(DZ)

³¹ These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king^(EA) reigned:

⁴⁰ These were the chiefs^(EG) descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:

This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.^(EH)

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(A)(B)

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain^(C) and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”^(D)

³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?^{(E) 4} He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.^{(F) 5} Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath^(G) and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.^{(H) 7} If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’^[a](I) you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man^(J) is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁹ Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus,^(K) they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”^(L)

¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?^{(M) 12} How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!^(N) Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.^(O)

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.^{(P) 16} He warned them not to tell others about him.^{(Q) 17} This was to fulfill^(R) what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.